The Warmth In Red
by PleasantlyPremeditated
Summary: "The Program is thriving. A rebel group is forming. War is coming. The lives of those involved will never be the same again." Follows a survivor of the program as she meets up with the The Wild Seven in their early stages, as well as through the events of BR II. Slight AU. Shuya/OC. Rated for graphic violence, mild sexual content, and language.
1. Chapter 1

**:: THE WARMTH IN RED ::**

:: Disclaimer :: I own absolutely nothing here but Arisa and Yataro.  
This fic is for enjoyment purposes only and I have no intention of making money off of it.

_Note_: _This fic is a slight AU in that Shogo Kawada has survived. If that bothers you, please move on now. For more information, please visit my profile._

**:: PROLOGUE ::**

The sky was growing dark.

Arisa Inihara was having trouble staying on her feet. She'd lost enough blood that she was finding it difficult to stay alert and as she grew colder her legs moved slower. Her body was shivering violently and the idea of collapsing on the ground was quickly becoming more lucrative to her. She'd come so far and fought so hard. She deserved a rest.

She knew it was a rest that would kill her. But she wasn't foolish enough to think that she had a chance at survival anymore. Arisa had won her battle. It was time to call it quits. She would be wanted for murder now. Going home was no longer an option and she wouldn't be able to find her way there if it was. Lost somewhere in the middle of nowhere with nowhere to go and no one to turn to, Arisa didn't find herself faced with many reasons to press on.

Flashes of the past three days played through her head and she was unable to stop them. Her friends and classmates were dying right before her eyes over and over again. She wondered briefly if she should be more sickened by it than she was. Horrified, maybe. She wasn't though. If there was anything she'd been granted since her escape from the compound it was an inner calm. Somehow she'd made peace with what she'd done. Or at least some false semblance of it for the time being.

Stumbling over a protruding root, Arisa finally gave in and hit the ground. She curled in on herself almost immediately, making the decision then and there that she wasn't going to get back to her feet. The trees were thick as they pressed in on her from all sides and there was almost no possibility of anyone coming across her in time.

Somewhere in the dark haze in the back of her mind, she thought of Yataro. She thought of the way he'd fought so faithfully by her side and the sword that had protruded from his heart when he drew his last breath. Arisa closed her eyes. Things shouldn't have ended the way they did. She shouldn't be the one lying here wasting the life so many people had died for. It would all be for nothing. She felt pathetic. But more than that she just felt tired. There was no changing the past.

Breathing was becoming a task. She was trying desperately to draw air into lungs that were already full. But she couldn't breathe out in more than short gasps that were punctuated by long, uncontrollable deep breaths. There was no regulating it. She didn't know how she'd gotten to where she was or where that place was. All she knew was that it was getting dark and her mother would have dinner ready soon.

She shouldn't be outside. Her mother hated when she missed dinner.

"You're too thin as it is," she would say. "You look sick."

Arisa thought that maybe her mother cared more than she let on. She was a cold, callous woman, but she worked hard to support herself and her daughter. Perhaps Arisa had been ungrateful. She needed to apologize. Pushing against the ground with her arms, she was fully expecting her body to stand easily. She wasn't expecting it to take too much effort for her to even raise her head.

She was dying. _Silly Arisa_, she thought. _You're never going to eat your mother's dinner again._

She thought of how she'd never have the chance to apologize to her cold, quiet mother or Yataro or any of the people whose lives she placed below her own in value. More than that, Arisa thought of the sun and how she'd never again have a chance to feel it warm upon her skin again. Or the cool lap of gentle waves against her body. Or the sting of red ants. She thought maybe she could feel all of those at once for a moment. And then she thought of nothing else.


	2. Chapter 2

**:: THE WARMTH IN RED ::**

::Disclaimer:: I don't own anything but Arisa and Yataro.  
This fic is for enjoyment purposes only.

_Note: I'd like to thank my two lovely reviewers. I appreciate it. And I'm sorry about the massive delay. Several unexpected things got in the way but I'm back on track now. Also, I apologize for any mistakes. I've read over it several times but it's often difficult for the person who has written something to pick out their errors. Please let me know if you find any._

**::CHAPTER ONE ::**

"Is she going to be okay?"

"I'm not sure, to be honest. She's lost a lot of blood. We've given her erythropoietin to help her body boost her red blood cell count. If she pulls through I'd say it's going to take her a week at least before she's able to do much. She had three bullet wounds, but luckily none of them penetrated anything vital. I had to remove two of them, one from her hip and one from her leg. The other went straight through her shoulder. But most of her blood loss came from the laceration down her side. It took me almost an hour to suture it."

"She's a survivor, huh?"

"Yeah, she had a collar on. It was deactivated."

"Who found her? Shuya?"

"Yeah. He was out gathering batteries. Took the long way back and found her passed out in the middle of the woods."

"That means they've had a battle nearby recently. She can't have made it far in her condition. I don't like that. Too close for comfort."

Shogo Kawada leaned back in his chair, taking a long drag from his cigarette. "Much too close. We'll be heading on from here soon though," he said.

His companion shifted uneasily on her feet. "Do you know where Shuya is?" she asked.

"Not at the moment." Shogo looked thoughtful. "He'll be around shortly. In the mean time you should get some rest, Saki. You're part of the retrieval team that's heading out for canned food tomorrow, aren't you?"

Saki nodded. She took one last glance at the sleeping girl on the bed. "I probably should," she said. Sparing Shogo a quick smile, she turned on her heel and swept out of the room.

Shogo watched her go with a furrowed brow. It wasn't like her to be so uneasy. He wasn't sure if it was the news of the close proximity of the last battle or something else. He wondered briefly is she was uncomfortable with the girl lying half-dead next to him. It was always a little unnerving to come across a new winner. He remembered vividly the crazed boy who'd done his best to behead him when he found him a couple months back.

There was no telling what the girl would be like. She could be crazy or angry. Hell, she could be ruined for life. But Shuya had said that she'd been muttering in her sleep as he'd carried her to their hideout, something about a boy named Yataro. She'd apologized several times. People who enjoyed killing others didn't apologize. They didn't whimper in their sleep as they clutched at a gun they thought still remained in their hands.

The girl had been in possession of a blood-stained uzi carbine that they'd practically had to wrestle from her in her delirium. Her strength had returned to her then for just a short amount of time, her mind and body kicking back into survival mode with a kind of sick desperation. She'd cried out and snarled and fought hard for only a few moments though before Shuya had been able to coax the gun away, and then she'd fallen into a fitful rest for the majority of the time Shogo spent working on her.

"You're a fighter," Shogo said quietly, watching the steady rise and fall of the girl's chest as she finally rested peacefully. They all were.

Shuya Nanahara hadn't bothered to wash the blood from his skin. Finding a new survivor was never easy. It required a certain amount of patience and understanding. Each one had survived in his or her own way and come out of it a changed person. Sometimes for the better and sometimes not. Mitsugu, Shuya, and Shogo had gathered six followers in the past year. He thought he'd been prepared by now to deal with most circumstances of their arrival.

But this girl had shown him that he wasn't, and she'd done it in the most shocking way possible. He'd been convinced she was dead the moment he'd happened upon her in the woods. She hadn't moved a muscle when he'd checked her pulse and he'd nearly been sick when he'd seen the collar around her neck. It was when he'd actually picked her up that she'd stirred, crying out incoherently at first. She was covered in a cold sweat and he didn't bother trying to take the gun from her cold hands, doing his best to avoid stressing her out more than necessary.

It had been a long trip. When the girl finally began speaking in a way Shuya could understand, she called out for someone named Yataro. She said she was sorry for letting him down. She spoke under her breath about how she could have tried harder. Her voice, though weak, so full of such gut-wrenching emotion that Shuya returned to the hideout with tears streaming down his face. And Shogo—blessed, wonderful Shogo—didn't say a word as he took the girl from Shuya's arms and carried her back to medical room.

Watching him try to take the gun from her was horrifying. She fought Shogo with everything she had. It wasn't much but it was enough to make it difficult for him. Acting almost without thinking, Shuya had placed a reassuring hand on her chilled forehead. His other he had rested on one of hers, where he stroked her fingers softly until her grip had loosened. He wasn't sure what he'd said to her at the time, but she finally calmed enough for the weapon to be taken without risking injury to her.

He felt rage. He always did. It was absolutely disgusting to him that something so heinous had so quickly become commonplace. Many people had stood against the act, of course, but the amount of support behind it was enough that it was allowed to continue without much standing in the way. Human nature, Shuya had learned, had a way of being cruel.

Resting his face in the palms of his shaking hands, Shuya hoped the girl had enough fighting spirit to make it through this. She was such a small thing, much like Noriko.

_Noriko_. Thoughts of her were less painful than they used to be. Shuya missed her more than anything. He felt a certain comfort in knowing that she was far safer where she was than she would be if she were with him, but missing her was like a constant knife in his chest. The ache had been nearly unbearable at first. It had been a year since he'd last seen her smiling face and sometimes he felt guilty for feeling the pain less than he used to.

But it was just the natural way of things. As long as she was happy and safe, he could continue fighting. It was the only way any of them were ever going to be safe again.

Even though Saki Sakurai knew that recruiting as many survivors as possible was a vital part of Mitsugu's plan of resistance, she found herself nervous each time she face a new fighter. There was never any way to know whether or not these people were to be trusted in the beginning. Shuya could slip up. He could let someone dangerous in. Sometimes people came out of the battles with a thirst for blood. They turned into killers. It was like a child getting his first taste of candy.

And of course they had to worry about spies. There were people who had already caught onto Mitsugu's plan of action. A terrorist organization couldn't exist for long before some time of attention was drawn to it. Luckily they hadn't been perceived as a threat yet. They were just another name of another group of kids hiding away and cursing the government's name. But it wasn't going to be that way forever. Mitsugu wasn't going to stop until they shook the foundation of the government to its demented core.

Saki sighed. She finished washing the last of the dishes and wiped her hands off on the cloth beside her, turning to head outside. Jin was sitting on the back porch, his short legs swinging as he merrily bit into a small bar of chocolate.

"Where'd you get that, Jin?" Saki asked as she sat down beside him.

The little boy smiled. "Shuya brought it back for me the other day. I've been saving it for a special occasion."

"Oh yeah? And what's the occasion?"

"We rescued another survivor!"

Saki rubbed the boy's hair fondly. "That we did," she said.

Jin might have been young, but he was very intelligent for his age. He understood just as well anyone else what was going on and Saki wasn't sure if she admired his realism or pitied his loss of childhood. He was a young orphan whose parents had been killed when they fought against their daughter being put in a battle. It was Kengo Yonai who had brought Jin with him. While Mitsugu had been hesitant at first to let a child in, Kengo had pointed out that they might as well provide as safe of a place as they could for the children who were at such a risk out in the world.

"When is she going to wake up, Saki?" Jin asked, carefully wrapping up the half of his candy bar that was left.

"I don't know. Hopefully soon."

Nodding, Jin looked up at her. "I'm going to save this half for her. Think she'll like it?"

Saki rubbed the boys hair playfully. "I'm sure she'll love it, Jin."

It was remarkable how selfless the boy was. It never failed that Jin would stop to think about others and put their needs and wants before his own.

"Saki, will you come push me on the swings?"

"Of course."

Jin cheered as he hopped off the porch and ran over the the swing set. Saki followed him more slowly, grinning at his complete joy. It was a small blessing that he was still able to experience such simple pleasures in life. As long as he could do that then perhaps there was hope that he could make it out of this well enough.

Without a sound, Kengo had moved from his position on the side of the house to stand beside the swing set. He held his gun loosely and his posture was mostly relaxed, but Saki knew he was on complete alert for anyone or anything that might pose a threat to her and Jin. He'd made a point of keeping up watch since the day he'd arrived. For the most part, Saki found it unnecessary, but she was grateful nonetheless.

"You wanna take a turn on the swing, Yonai?" she joked.

Kengo smirked. "I think I'll pass."

"You should push Saki, Kengo! I bet she'd have fun!" Jin shouted, jumping off the swing.

He moved to stand in front of Kengo and held his arms out. Kengo raised an eyebrow and his face was graced by a genuine smile. He handed the gun to Jin carefully. Jin had already been through several lessons on gun safety. He'd even shot a pistol before. Kengo was planning on moving him up to a sub-machine gun by the time they made it to their destination, the deserted island that would play the part of their headquarters.

Saki was already sitting in the swing when Kengo approached. She smiled at him before ducking her head, suddenly feeling shy. From behind her, Kengo placed his hands just above hers on the swing and pulled her back as far as the swing would allow him before releasing her. Saki was glad he couldn't see her face because the feel of his hands grazing hers had caused an instant reaction. Her cheeks heated and she knew she'd be blushing.

"We're having vegetable soup tonight," Kengo said. "You planning on partaking?"

"Of course," said Saki, blushing harder.

She'd been skipping out on meals recently due to a nagging nausea and she had been hoping it would escape anyone's notice. Saki didn't like to appear as anything but strong to the people around here and she certainly didn't want them to know she was feeling ill.

"I think it's going to rain," she said suddenly, looking up at the sky.

"Oh, I hope so!" said Jin. "We can catch raindrops on our tongues!"

Kengo laughed. The sound was deep and rich. It was the kind of sound Saki wished she could record and listen to whenever she was feeling down. It didn't happen often enough. Kengo wasn't an unhappy person but he was nothing close to carefree.

"What, and get sick?" he asked. "I don't think so, Jin. Maybe when it's warmer outside."

Jin's head dipped in disappointment. He wasn't the kind of kid to talk back or try to defy his elders, but the strict rules they often had to impart obviously wore on him more than he usually let on.

"C'mon," said Saki. "Let's go make some rice balls. We still have some canned tuna."

Jin practically jumped for joy. "Yes! Let's make rice balls," he said.

Saki turned to Kengo. "You coming?" she asked.

Kengo chuckled. "Why not? Sounds good to me."

The three of them were through the door just as the heavy clouds overhead broke and the rain began.


	3. Chapter 3

**:: THE WARMTH IN RED ::**

:: Disclaimer :: I don't own anyone but my Arisa and a couple very minor OCs I have created. This fic is for your enjoyment. I'm making no money from it.

_A huge thank you to my reviewers and anyone else who has taken the time and will take the time to read this! Please point out any mistakes you find. It's super late and I'm tired so I may easily have overlooked something._

The first thing Arisa noticed when she opened her eyes was how uncomfortable she was. Her body was sore and stiff. Holding her eyes open took an almost painful amount of effort. Swallowing proved to be a nearly impossible task as her throat and tongue were both so dry it almost felt as though she'd been chewing on cotton. Gathering as much strength as she could into her limp arms, she forced them to help push her into a sitting position. She took in her surroundings wearily.

She was in a large dimly lit room that contained two small beds, one of which she was currently sitting on. There was a table off to the side full of bloody cloths and all manner of surgical equipment. Feeling like she'd ended up in a situation she shouldn't be in, Arisa was starting to panic. She performed a quick physical assessment to assure herself that she was in fact alive and well, because she didn't remember much that had happened since she'd won the program.

The program. Arisa's heart started a heavy thrumming in her chest. She looked around for her gun and found that it was nowhere nearby. She froze when someone stepped through the door. Her visitor stopped as well, looking at her warily. He was a tall man, and young. He looked to be in his early twenties and he looked for all the world like the very last person she wanted to encounter right now. His clothes were ripped and dirtied, even blood-stained, and he wore a bloody yellow bandana around his head.

Though he didn't look upset or even vaguely menacing, Arisa's reaction to his next step was instantaneous. She was off the bed before she could even fully register any fear and her hand had automatically grabbed a scalpel off the table before her body had backed itself against the far wall.

"Whoa," the man said carefully, pausing. "I'm not trying to hurt you."

"Who are you?" Arisa asked. "Where am I? What's going on?"

"You need to calm down before—"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Arisa snapped, immediately dropping into a half crouch. It was a good position she could play on for both defense and offense, but the muscles in her thighs ached in protest and a pain like fire jumped across her ribs.

Attracted to the noise, a young woman entered the room at a run. The moment she saw Arisa she leveled her gun at her. If there was any question as to the status of Arisa's life at that point, it was gone. Her heart was beating so hard against the inside of her chest that she was certain it was going to escape.

"Drop the weapon!" the girl shouted.

Arisa readjusted the scalpel against a sweaty palm as Shogo reprimanded the girl for her actions. Arisa's lip curled into a snarl unbidden.

"Drop yours first," she said.

"I don't think so. You're not the one in any position to argue."

"Saki, please. She's not our enemy."

"You don't know that, Shogo. She doesn't look very friendly."

Shogo placed himself between Saki and Arisa. "You know what she's been through. Give her a break. You're scaring her."

Whatever words passed between the two of them after that went unheard by Arisa. Something was propped up against the wall to the right of her and it had caught her attention. She wasn't sure what these people wanted from her but she wasn't about to let anyone try to talk her into a false sense of security. She knew what she'd done. There would be people looking for her. Sure, these two didn't look like typical government officials, but she was living in a world where trusting anything could get a person killed.

The moment Shogo turned back to face Arisa she moved, diving for the dragunov that the two holding her hostage had apparently forgotten about. She managed to dive to the side just in time to avoid what would have most likely been a headshot.

"Stop!" Shogo yelled, shouldering Saki to the floor as he wrenched the gun from her hands. She screamed in anger and hit the floor ready to fight.

A thin hand wrapped itself around Arisa's wrist and she screamed, momentarily forgetting the scalpel in her hand in favor of curling in on herself. Her teeth sunk deep into Saki's fingers and the girl howled in pain. She jerked back and Shogo used that opportunity to grab her and pull her away. Several other people had come running and the chaos was more than Arisa could handle. There were too many people and she was already sapped of the small amount of energy her rest had afforded her. Curling up against the wall, she kept her flimsy weapon close to her body, warily watching the girl with fire in her eyes.

"You stupid girl!" Saki screamed, clawing against someone's hold in an effort to get back to Arisa.

There were several guns facing Arisa and everyone was shouting. It almost seemed to Arisa that they were shouting more at each other than at her and she wondered if she was surrounded by a group of people driven crazy by the state of the world around them.

Several shots rang through the air. Arisa cringed, waiting for the pain, but nothing came. As she opened her eyes she realized she wasn't the only one who had done so. Everyone looked around for the source of the gunshots. A young man stood in the doorway. His face was mostly passive.

"Please leave the room, everyone," he said.

"But, Shuya, that's—" Saki began.

"Leave."

The note of finality in his voice must have made it impossible to argue. Throwing one last scathing glance at Arisa, the girl swept out. Shogo, Arisa noticed, placed his hand on the man's shoulder briefly before heading out.

"My name is Shuya Nanahara," the young man said once the room was clear. "I have something of yours. You will probably appreciate having it back."

He crossed the room slowly and seemingly without much concern about Arisa's presence. There was something peaceful about him, something that kept him from appearing threatening. When he reached into a closet to pull something out, the scalpel dropped from Arisa's fingers without thought. It was her gun. _Her gun_. The one thing she'd had to keep herself alive. Her security blanket.

She didn't move as he approached her and held it out. He wasn't smiling but he didn't look unhappy.

"You've been asleep for the past three days," he said as she took her precious uzi back, immediately holding it close to her. "You were on the verge of death when I came across you in the woods. I apologize if I overstepped any boundaries, but I couldn't leave you there."

Arisa said nothing, watching the man before her carefully. He moved into a crouch before her and held her gaze evenly. His presence was like a soothing balm for her tension and she felt herself relaxing against wall as he spoke. "Those of us here have survived games of our own. We're refugees, wanted for murder, unable to return home. This program has destroyed the lives we each once had and there's no getting that back."

"But we're going to fight back. We're going to show the adults who've done this that we aren't their playthings. We're all humans and we all deserve a fair chance at life. And you... you're more than welcome to stay here with us. We need everyone we can get. And in exchange for your loyalty you'll have a safe place to stay with a bed and food."

Casting her eyes to the gun in her arms, Arisa took a deep breath. It wasn't so hard for her to believe Shuya's story. It had only been a matter of time before people started forming groups to rebel against the Millennium Education Reform Act. The government was making enemies of the very people who would be taking over one day. If they didn't end up dead first.

"What's your name?" His voice was low, slipping like honey between his lips, and Arisa appreciated his gentle nature.

"Arisa Inihara," she said quietly.

"Arisa, please, let us help you."

When Arisa finally looked up, she found that the look in Shuya's face was every bit as sincere as the sound of his voice. But she knew perfectly well that placing her trust in him and anyone else here would be foolish. Her fingers played along the length of her gun absentmindedly, tracing its contours with an almost loving grace. She realized Shuya's gaze was following their movement.

"You lose a part of yourself in the program," he said. Arisa stilled her fingers and Shuya's eyes moved back to her own. "You lose your innocence. How do you live with yourself after that?"

"I'm fine," Arisa said.

Shuya looked almost disappointed. It didn't matter if he believed her or not. She wasn't about to open up like that to someone she'd only just met in a strange place full of people who'd pointed guns at her. In any case, she was certain that if she even tried to do so, the dam she had in place inside of her would crack and break and she wasn't sure she'd be able to keep herself from drowning. The pain was sharp and insistent in her chest and it was the kind of pain she knew wasn't any physical injury. The strings that held her together were thing and fragile and it was all she could do to keep from falling apart.

Yataro's face swam through her mind. He was smiling and unharmed and then he was lying on the ground, eyes wide open without seeing a thing. There was blood everywhere. On him, on her, on the ground. She was wet with rain and blood and tears. The frantic beeping in her color stopped and the silence was deafening. Her hands were in Yataro's and she was begging him to stop kidding, to get up and walk with her back to the school. She didn't want to be alive if it meant he was dead. She didn't know how to deal with that.

"It's not fair."

"No, it's not."

Startled, Arisa cursed herself silently for speaking the thought aloud. Shuya looked concerned. "You're going to have to talk to someone," he said.

Arisa glared at him. "It doesn't have to be me," Shuya said. He looked toward the doorway. "You'd probably talk to him," he muttered.

"What?"

Shuya smiled. "No matter. You must be thirsty. Please, come with me."

He stood up and held out a hand, no doubt to help Arisa follow suit. She stared at the soft brown of his skin which was darker than her own and wondered how she was supposed to trust this guy she'd only just met. Shuya didn't seem fazed. He pulled his hand back and returned to his crouching position. He must have thought it seemed less threatening. The gesture was appreciated.

"Please, Arisa," he said. "I understand you're out of your element here and I'm begging you to give me a chance. You have a weapon. You're not without the means to defend yourself."

His voice, Arisa noticed, was losing its steady rhythm. Feeling something akin to horror, she realized he was crying. He wasn't sobbing or anything of the nature, but it was still affecting her. Vaguely, she could remember a time in her life when she couldn't stand to see people cry. Could that really have been less than a week ago? It seemed like a lifetime had passed since she'd been... what? Normal? Arisa grimaced.

Shuya had his head down and was wringing his hands as tears dropped from his eyes. "Please let me help you. I can show you that your life isn't over yet. You've got so much ahead of you. Don't let what you've been through destroy you. If you do, they win. And you're the loser after all."

She would have done something about this if she was normal. She probably would have wrapped her arms around him and comforted him with her words. Maybe she would have told a joke to lighten the mood. But Arisa Inihara wasn't who she was anymore. So she stayed where she was, remained silent, and watched the man in front of her prove to her that he was young just like she had been. She was startled. Shuya wasn't much older than her. He couldn't have been over seventeen. He was just a kid like her. She was just a kid.

Arisa didn't know she was crying until Shuya's thumb swept across her cheek, wiping away her tears. And then she couldn't control it anymore. It was just too much. She didn't deserve his kindness. She didn't deserve to have him pull her into his arms and cradle her head to his chest. She didn't deserve his hand rubbing her back or the way he kissed the top of her head. Arisa was a murderer. She had taken the lives of kids just like her and just like the man holding her. It wasn't fair.

Shogo paused in the doorway. He was half-expecting to step in and find the new girl strangling Shuya. He was pleasantly surprised by what he found instead. Shuya was a soft soul. His kindness was infectious. But to a defensive, battle-ready girl like the one he'd seen earlier, he had imagined someone like Shuya would come off as weak and irritating.

He almost hated to break up the scene before him, but he didn't have much of a choice. Unsure of what to say, he settled for clearing his throat instead. The girl practically launched herself back into the wall, pulling her gun tight against her as her frightened eyes found Shogo's. His chest constricted painfully. He hadn't seen such a look on a girl's face in a while. Shuya looked like he was considering reaching out to her, but then thought better of it. His expression was regretful as he addressed Shogo.

"I know," he said. He stood up. "Will you show her around? Find her a place to sleep until we can get her a bed."

"I will," said Shogo.

Shuya nodded and looked back at the girl. She wasn't looking at either of them, but rather focusing at a spot on the opposite wall, eyes wide like a rabbit hiding out in its hole. Shogo could practically see the internal battle going on behind Shuya's eyes as he stepped toward him.

"I'll take care of her," he said.

"I know," said Shuya. "We should be back by tomorrow morning. If we're not, you know the drill."

"Of course. Be careful."

The two embraced briefly before Shuya left the room. Shogo couldn't help but feel like he'd been abandoned in a cage with a wild leopard and asked to tame it. The girl wasn't a threat, of course. But he had to be careful with her. He knew well how fragile her state of mind was. Her spirit though, he'd been glad to see, seemed to be intact.

"I'm Shogo Kawada," he said. It was as good a starting point as any.

"Arisa," the girl muttered without looking at him. Well, that was something.

Shogo seated himself on the bed. "I have to say, I'm pretty impressed," he said. "Your injuries were pretty bad. It took me a while to sew you back together. And you've spent three days in bed recovering. But look at you. Still cute and feisty." He chuckled.

And he wasn't kidding. Arisa was downright adorable. It wasn't unheard of for small girls like her to come out victorious in the program, but looking at her then, it seemed impossible. She was even smaller than Noriko had been. _If Noriko was here_, he thought, _I bet she'd get the girl to open up._ Arisa wouldn't have been able to do anything but trust Noriko. Saki, on the other hand, wasn't even an option. It had taken Kengo everything he had to calm her down after she'd left the room and she was still ready to tear into Arisa with everything she had.

Shogo shook his head. Women.

"I could use a drink," Arisa said quietly. She was finally looking at Shogo and her large eyes were cautious.

He smiled. "Come on. We'll get you one."


	4. Chapter 4

**:: THE WARMTH IN RED ::**

:: Disclaimer :: I only own Arisa and a couple minor OCs.

_I considered saving this update for a few days, but figured I'd go ahead and post it. I'll try to have the next chapter up in a week. Enjoy! _

If Kengo had been given a choice between battling the entire American army alone and dealing with an angry Saki, he would have gone with the first choice without hesitation. To say that Saki was unreasonable when she was angry was the worst kind of understatement. She'd been the one who had brought him to Mitsugu, who was the leader of their small resistance group. At first, she'd been reluctant to do say, demanding that he release Jin to her so that she could keep him safe.

It had taken Kengo a while to convince her that he'd won his battle mostly by sheer luck and that he was the only person the orphan boy trusted. Saki was a force of nature, as wild and as restless as the sea, and Kengo thought it was surely that which had drawn him to her in the beginning. It hadn't taken him long to figure out that there wasn't much of a soft center to her, but he'd grown to care for her all the same.

And as he watched her pace back and forth across the small room that they shared with Jin, he searched for something to say to her.

"Someone's going to get hurt because of her, or worse," Saki ranted. "I'm getting sick of Mitsugo's all-accepting attitude. And Shuya's no better." She stopped pacing for a moment and glared at Kengo. "I know they mean well, but I don't think we should be letting people like her stay here."

Kengo leaned back on his palms. "People like her? She's no different than you or I, Saki. You can't expect everyone to make it through the program without some lingering effects. Don't you remember what I was like at first?"

Saki snorted, but a small, fond small grew at the corner of her lips. "You were a hot-headed asshole," she said.

"Hell, I still am. But I've gotten better. Just like you did. And the girl will too."

Unsurprisingly, Saki didn't look like she was convinced. She sighed and took a seat on her own bed, her knees touching Kengo's. The room was small and the three beds took up almost the entire space without much room between them. Kengo leaned forward and crossed his arms on Saki's knees. He rested his chin on them and gazed up at her.

"You're scared," he said. He held a finger up to Saki's lips before she could bite out her doubtlessly angry response. "And that's okay. It's fine to be scared. But we're never going to get anywhere with this if we keep treating our potential allies like enemies."

Saki looked away and Kengo smiled. She had no problem maintaining eye contact in any situation other than one where she felt like she might be the one at fault. Then Kengo's face grew serious.

"Are you feeling bad, Saki?" he asked, sitting up. He pressed his palm against her cheek.

"I'm fine," she said, still not meeting his eyes. She pulled away and stood up.

"You'd tell me if something was wrong, right?"

Nodding curtly, Saki headed out the door, leaving Kengo feeling like sometimes dealing with her was more trouble than it needed to be. _You make things unnecessarily hard on me_, he thought, listening to her footsteps disappear down the hall. The front door slammed shortly after and Kengo sighed.

He was still sitting on the bed when Shogo entered, the new girl following closely behind. Shuya had returned her gun, Kengo noted, and she clutched it tightly as she shrunk away from his gaze. He pitied the girl. She was so small.

"This is Kengo," Shogo said, turning to her. "He's a good guy."

Arisa bowed her head in greeting, but her eyes never left Kengo's. She was wary but at least she wasn't terrified like she had been before. But she didn't look like she was willing to speak to him just yet.

Shogo took pity on her. "Her name's Arisa," he said.

Kengo smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Arisa," he said. "I think you'll like it here, if you choose to stay."

The girl was practically standing behind Shogo at that point. It was obvious Kengo wasn't going to get anything from her and he wondered briefly how it was that Shogo was so good at earning the trust of others. There was nothing wrong with him, sure, but he wasn't the most emotionally warm person in the room. In fact, he could be the most detached of everyone in the house if he chose to be. But people liked him and they confided in him. Maybe it was because he didn't seem like the kind of guy who cared enough to invest time and effort into earning someone's trust just to screw them over.

"I take it that was Saki's gentle treatment of the front door a minute ago?" Shogo asked. Kengo grimaced.

"She's upset."

"I never would have guessed," Shogo laughed. "She'll come around. The girl may have a temper but she's not completely illogical."

"I know. I think the stress is getting to her though. She's been sick lately."

Shogo frowned. "It's true. But she's been feeling rough for a while now. I think there's something else that's been bothering her."

"She won't talk to me about it."

"She will eventually. You just have to give her some time. Saki needs her space. And if you push her she might snap. I like you, Kengo. Wouldn't want her to kill you."

Kengo laughed. "I'll keep that in mind, man. And you take care of that one. I think Shuya's got a soft spot for her."

Shogo looked over, obviously expecting to find Arisa standing beside him. When he realized she was behind him instead he turned back to Kengo with a small smile.

"You know I will."

The house wasn't very large. After passing by Kengo's room, they passed the room Shogo shared with Mitsugu, the apparent leader of the group whom Arisa had yet to meet. Just beyond that was a room shared by three members named Chizuru, Sayaka, and Iwamoto. The bathroom was across the hall. It took most of her self restraint to keep from climbing out the window and running off when Arisa relieved herself. And in the end she didn't know what it was that was keeping her from doing so. She could have been a good distance away before Shogo had suspected any foul play and she would have been free.

However, she had no idea where she was, where she would go, or what she would do. It wouldn't have made much sense to throw herself to the elements rather than bide her time under a roof with a little company. That thought hit her hard and she shoved it to the side. She didn't want company. She wanted to be left alone to be miserable and crazy. Killers didn't have friends.

But the way Shogo smiled at her when she stepped out of the bathroom made her think that maybe a little companionship wouldn't hurt her. She wanted to be able to smile like that one day. Like she had done when she was _better_.

"Let's get you that water," Shogo said. "The water that comes from the tap here isn't really drinkable. In fact, it's not good for much other than making you sick. We boil water for drinking and for baths. Not the best situation, but it's better than nothing."

The kitchen was at the end of the hall on the left and the living room was on the right. The couch was made up like a bed and Arisa wondered if that was where Shuya slept. She remembered the way she collapsed against him and the tears she'd shared with him and her face promptly flushed, knowing she had a lot of dignity to recapture.

"Arisa."

Looking up, she realized Shogo was holding a glass of water beside her. She'd been staring at the couch like an idiot.

"Sorry," she murmured.

"Don't apologize," Shogo said cheerfully. "If you ask Shuya nicely, I'm sure he'll give you the couch."

"I couldn't!" Arisa said suddenly.

Shogo looked taken aback. "I was just kidding," he said playfully. "Kind of. I'm sure he would, but he won't have to. We'll get you your own place set up."

Relieved, Arisa promptly felt her face heat up yet again at her outburst. Shogo looked like he was about to say something, but stopped and handed her the glass in his hand instead. Arisa gulped it down so quickly that she wasn't even sure she'd had anything to drink when she was done. Shogo didn't look surprised, however, as she handed the glass back.

"I'll get you some more. By the way, you're going to sleep in my bed until we get you something of your own."

Arisa was about to protest, but Shogo silenced her with a look as he turned back around to give her the refill. "You need a comfortable place to sleep, Arisa. The medical bed needs to be cleaned and kept that way in case the need arises for it, so you can't sleep there. I don't mind in the slightest. You have a lot of strength to regain."

"But where will you sleep?" Arisa asked.

"I'll cuddle with Nanahara."

The look on her face must have matched her shock because Shogo looked amused.

"Nah. I couldn't share a sleeping area with that boy if I wanted to. He's restless." When Arisa said nothing he became serious. "I'm going to take Mitsugu's bed for now. He's out on a run and I'm not sure when he'll be back, so I don't want to put you there."

"Thank you. I don't know how I could repay you though."

"You could let me cuddle with you."

Arisa's cheeks burned as she headed over to the sink to put her glass away.

"Still kidding, kid. You're a restless sleeper too. Come on." Shogo grabbed Arisa's hand. "You need to meet Jin."

As Shogo had expected him to be, Jin was overjoyed to meet Arisa. He was sitting on the swing out back, twirling himself in circles, when Shogo and Arisa approached. When he saw her, his eyes lit up.

"You're awake!" he yelled, running over to her.

Arisa looked plain terrified when Jin threw his arms around her waist and hugged her. Shogo watched as she struggled to respond to the invasion of her personal space. She let the hand holding her gun fall to her side and wrapped the other around Jin's shoulders. Her eyes sought Shogo's and he read the silent plea for help with joy. He shook his head. Arisa frowned but she didn't remove her arm from around Jin's body.

"Are you staying with us? I'm Jin! What's your name? Are you still sick? Where are you going to sleep?"

It looked to Shogo like Arisa was about to bolt. She balked under the pressure of Jin's questions for a few moments. It wasn't until Jin pulled back to look at her that she finally took released the breath she'd apparently been holding and spoke.

"My name's Arisa," she said. She went to her knees in a movement that Shogo thought was probably one that came naturally. He wondered if she had any younger siblings at home. If she even had a home anymore.

"I'm not sick anymore. And I'll be staying here for a while. Do you live here?"

"I do! I'm going to be Shuya's personal bodyguard when he becomes leader!"

Arisa smiled. She looked weary. "That's an important job. I'm sure you'll do well."

"I'll be the very best! Shuya told me himself. Have you met Shuya? He's really sweet. He talked about you a lot. He'll be back tomorrow and—"

"Jin," Shogo said, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Don't talk so much. It's rude."

"I don't mind," Arisa said. "How old are you?"

Jin stood up a little straighter. "I'm ten years and four months."

"I have a brother your age. His name's Hatori."

"Does he play sports?" Jin asked.

Arisa swallowed visibly. "Yeah. He likes to play basketball."

"Maybe he'll grow up to be a basket ball star! That is, if he doesn't end up in the program."

Standing up, Arisa stepped back. "I hope he doesn't."

She closed her eyes and Shogo knew she was reliving details of the times she'd spent with her brother. She was back in her old life, happy and carefree. It was how things should have been. A girl like her should never have ended up fighting for her life the way she had. But that was what the program did. It took innocent children and pitted them against one another in a deadly game of musical chairs.

Shogo remembered Noriko and her wide, innocent eyes and her round young face. He'd watched her struggle so valiantly to maintain some sense of self, to be a pillar of strength for Shuya just as he'd been for her. There was something to be said for such a young woman who could survive such a horrible situation and remain as soft as ever.

"Do you want to push me on the swing?" Jin asked. "Or we could go for a walk!"

Shogo stepped in before Arisa had to answer. "I think Arisa's still a little tired, Jin. She probably needs to go lie down."

Arisa shot him a thankful glance. "I'm sorry," she said to Jin. "I'll play with you soon."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"I hope you get some good rest," Jin said.

"Thank you." Arisa bowed her head and then turned to Shogo.

He nodded at her and headed back across the yard. He almost missed her quiet words of thanks but he didn't miss the way she leaned her head against his arm while they walked. She didn't seem completely aware of it herself though. Her cheeks were colored red and Shogo could see a couple beads of sweat forming below her hair line.

"I told you that you were going to need a place to rest," he said.

"I see that now."

Shogo led her back to his room and she flopped down on the bed gratefully, curling up into a tight ball around her gun. If she had any doubts about falling asleep around a bunch of people who were nearly strangers, she didn't let it show.

"Sleep well, Arisa."

She was asleep before he'd finished speaking. Shogo watched her for a moment before heading off to find Kengo.

* * *

_Note: I love Saki. I really do. There's not much to her in the movie, obviously. But I'm going to flesh her and a lot of the other characters out in this fic._


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